Former taxidermist's show pieces are now live birds

Sonny Carlin encourages one of his many exotic birds to play soccer in Nederland.
Tammy McKinley/ The Enterprise

Sonny Carlin encourages one of his many exotic birds to play soccer in Nederland.
Tammy McKinley/ The Enterprise

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Sonny Carlin encourages one of his many exotic birds to play soccer in Nederland.
Tammy McKinley/ The Enterprise

Sonny Carlin encourages one of his many exotic birds to play soccer in Nederland.
Tammy McKinley/ The Enterprise

Former taxidermist's show pieces are now live birds

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In a small shed in Nederland, a green macaw moonwalks to Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean," a pearly-white cockatoo glides on roller skates and another bird declares he'll "Praise the Lord" at church service.

The birds' moves aren't a scene from Ripley's Believe it Or Not. No, these acts belong to longtime animal entertainer Sonny Carlin.

Carlin, who oddly enough is a former taxidermist, has entertained Southeast Texas audiences for more than a decade alongside his feathered friends. He's also performed in Branson, Mo., and throughout Louisiana with his company: Exotic Wings Production.

The wise-cracking Carlin, 65, left his day job for the birds about 12 years ago. The decision was a a hefty investment: cages cost about $600 and his ensemble of exotic birds range in price from $2,000 to $2,500 each.

But he stuck with it, teaching the birds tricks that would attract audiences.

"The bird stuff draws crowds by the hundreds," he said last week as he coaxed a bird with sunflower seeds to hand deliver an envelope from a mailbox.

This upcoming year, he plans to wow audiences with new tricks and his eighth bird, a $7,500 Brazilian hyacinth macaw he purchased about a month ago. It took Carlin about a decade to stomach spending that kind of money, he said.